To help ease the financial strain of attending college, West Virginia University is introducing two new scholarships for students from West Virginia, increasing the value of other scholarships for students from all states and providing an additional $250,000 in need-based aid.

Although the economy is improving, WVU recognizes that families may be faced with tough decisions when deciding how to pay for higher education. As the state’s premier university, WVU wants to ensure that students have every opportunity to attend WVU and have access to the University’s world-class facilities and faculty.

This investment in scholarship and financial aid dollars reaffirms the University’s belief that students deserve support in pursuit of their dream of earning a WVU degree.

“WVU is concerned about the financial difficulty that some families are facing as they make their college plans for next year, and we want to do our part to make it easier,” said Brenda Thompson, associate vice president of Enrollment Management at WVU.

Two new scholarships have been created for in-state students entering WVU as freshmen in the fall of 2010 – the Rhododendron and Shenandoah scholarships. In addition, the value of many existing scholarships for both in-state and out-of-state students have been increased for freshmen entering WVU next fall.

During the 2009-10 school year, WVU invested $1 million in aid for students facing difficult financial circumstances. An additional $250,000 has been allocated for these students during the 2010-11 school year.

The University has also attempted to control tuition costs. WVU limited the tuition increase for 2009 to just 4 percent. This is 2.5 percent lower than the average increase for in-state students at public four-year colleges nationwide, according to The College Board.

For more information on these and other scholarships offered by WVU, visit http://admissions.wvu.edu/undergraduate/finaid.

-WVU-

cd/10/28/09

CONTACT: Brenda Thompson, Enrollment Management
304-293-3837, Brenda.Thompson@mail.wvu.edu